Three Renees go on a quest to find God, who is also Renee. As they traverse the mountains and valleys of Renee, they discover all the great mysteries, sadnesses, and joys of being Renee.

Interview with Director Renee Zhan

Watch Reneepoptosis here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I received a post-graduate fellowship from Harvard University to spend a year in Japan and make a film. The first thing I did was go on a solo two month hike from Tokyo to Kyoto. This film came from that experience and was based on the idea of a fake pilgrimage to “find myself”. It was intended as a self-exploration film, treading the thin line between self-worship and self-hatred. In the end, I think it became a film about what happens when you spend too much time alone.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

I hoped to make a film that was engaging and visually and thematically unique. Hopefully it is entertaining as well!

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The film is about three Renees who go on a quest to find God, who is also Renee. It’s a very personal film, with every character being me, but I hope that the themes of loneliness and self-discovery resonate with a wider audience. The title, Reneepoptosis, comes from the word apoptosis, which is the cellular process of autophagy. Our cells are programmed to eat themselves as part of regulated growth and development. In Reneepoptosis, Renees eat each other as a necessary part of growing up, destroying past Renees to make room for new and hopefully better ones. For me, it’s a film about the joys and mysteries and pains that come with this process.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

This is the first film I made out of school, so I was a little overwhelmed by the freedom and time. As a result, the script was completely in flux during the entire production. I really enjoyed this loose process which kept the film interesting for me. At one point it was a film about cats. Then I got a haircut which completely changed the shape of my head, so I started seeing myself more as a character than as myself. Then I decided it would be okay to use myself as a character.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I’ve been so thrilled to see people respond positively to the film. I made the film in a very pure vacuum, so I was completely unsure if it made any sense or would just have to be something I buried deep and never talked about. Filmmaking is a strange process for me. The film is dead once it’s finished, but seeing other people watch it and experience it and talk about it makes it come alive again!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I’m interested in speaking with distributors and sales agents about the film!

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I would like for as many people as possible to see it.

Would you like to add anything else?

Thanks for reading!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I’m developing an animated adult TV series about bugs.

Interview: February 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Reneepoptosis

Three Renees go on a quest to find God, who is also Renee. As they traverse the mountains and valleys of Renee, they discover all the great mysteries, sadnesses, and joys of being Renee.

Length: 9:55

Director: Renee Zhan

Producer: Renee Zhan

Writer: Renee Zhan

About the writer, director and producer:

RENEE ZHAN is a Chinese-American director and animator from Houston, TX. She graduated from Harvard University in 2016 with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies and is currently working toward her MA at the National Film and Television School.

Key cast: Renee Zhan

Looking for: sales agents, film festival directors, distributors

Twitter: @renee_zhan

Instagram: @ummmrenee

Website: www.reneezhan.com

Other: Vimeo

Funders:

Austin Film Society